4年後にも生きてなければ!

　　夫に勧められて英語でブログを書いていた。多少ノーミソの老化防止にはなるかもしれないが、大して意味はないなあとこの頃思うようになった。だから日本語で書くことにしてみる。

　　一斉地方選挙の前半が終わった。あまりうれしい知らせはない。北海道で野党共闘候補が負け、大阪で維新が両方とも勝った。そしてこの地域では藤岡さんが落選した。信じられない気持ちだ。あんなに生きが良くてあんなに献身的であんなに行動的であんなに実績を上げていてあんなに正義漢が強い人を選ばないなんてあり得ない。これでこの地域からは原発反対を言う人はいなくなった。憲法を守れを言う人がいなくなった。権力に堂々と立ち向かう人がいなくなった。投票に行く人は半数に満たない。行った人の多数が、権力に近い候補者を選ぶ。この社会はどうなっていくのだろう。この国はどうなってしまうのだろう。無責任な評論家のような言い方だが、自分自身の至らなさを申し訳なく思いながら、ため息をついている。　
　   藤岡さんは、開票の翌朝早くには街頭に立っていたそうだ。「藤岡ガンバレ!」という車からの声援に泣きながら立ち続けたという。「よし、4年後には｣と今日も言い合ったのだが、4年後にも生きてなければね。

 

　　リンゴの苗木を植えた。よその国で見たような、見栄えはしなくても消毒せずに野原に立っているようなリンゴがほしい。果たしてなってくれるかな？これも、4年後にも生きていなければ、である。

Japan Has Changed the Name of Era

　　　The Emperor of Japan is going to abdicate the throne to his son in May. And so, the name of Japanese era is also going to change, as one name is to the reign of one emperor. People believe it’s a traditional rule of Japan, but it’s not. Anyway, media, and so, people had made a fuss over the new name; what name will it be?  Who are discussing about it?  When will it be announced?  When to start using it?

   And! On April 1^st the Chief Cabinet Secretary(!) and the Prime Minister(!!!) announced the new name, “Reiwa” . TV kept shouting the news all day and the name danced all over the newspaper in big letters next day. It was like a great festival, and the people seem in a spree. The percentage of those supporting the cabinet rose 9 point! Can you believe it? The abdication is not the work of the cabinet. I’m tired of the stupidity of our people. .

   The Prime Minister Abe is an extreme nationalist and he insisted to choose the word from Japanese old book, not from the Chinese one, and he is happy his desire came true. But anyway the name is written in Chinese letters and the old book was using them as Japan didn’t have its own letters in those days. We use Chinese letters and Japanese letters made from Chinese letters now. Our culture owe Chinese one greatly, but Abe doesn’t know it or hates to admit it.

   By the way, the first part of the new name “rei” is the character meaning “order”, “command” or “demand”. We take it the cabinet’s true intention. Do you welcome it?      

Gloomy in Spring

   The wind is still cold but the sun is bright, and we sowed potatoes today. My husband has already prepared seedlings .of summer vegetables like peppers and  tomatoes. We had planned a life to enjoy vegetable gardens and traveling around when we retired. But the situation of Japan is getting worse and worse, so we can’t sit quiet with a cup of tea.

   2019 is a year of a fuss for Japan; it’s the year before the Olympics in Tokyo, and the son of the emperor will become a new emperor. Both are not so important for the country, or for us, but the media is making a fuss all over. Thanks to it people pay no interest in what the government does. Prime Minister Abe made many anti-democratic laws and did many wrong things during his reign, and the biggest thing he wants to do is to change the constitution of Japan and make Japan a military nation as before. He is using the Olympics and the emperor to excite the nationalism and forget the nuclear disaster and people’s poverty. Clever Abe and foolish people!

  We also think 2019 a very important year; there are many kinds of local elections in spring and the congress election in summer. The local election has started and I’m worrying and waiting.      

Long Lives Aren't Celebrated

　The cherry blossoms started blooming in Tokyo, TV news said some days ago. Every year people wait the news of cherry blossoms and we often see maps when to bloom. Love Our love for cherry blossoms seems something special. My place is about 700 meters from the sea level, and the cherries bloom very late. Probably we have to wait two more weeks. I really envy the warm districts. But even in my garden spring is coming, and flowers are starting blooming. For more than three months the garden was just brown, but now it’s getting green and yellow of spring flowers.

 April is the time for starting in Japan. Schools, kinder gardens, companies, and everything start their new years in April. Children and young people step into their new lives in spring. Oh, it’s the same for elderly people. They usually retire in this season.

  Japan is facing the super aging now, People usually retire at sixty, but they can get their pension at sixty-five. The government is planning it at 70!  They have to live until then with no income. So many people keep working, but usually very cheep. The pension is decreasing, and the money for social insurance is increasing, and the media says everyday that the increasing old people are the heavy burden to the society, to the young generation. What should we, old generation, do? Long lives are not celebrated.      

   

How Is Bappa Doing Now?

  I was shocked to hear the news of shooting at a mosque in New Zealand. I visited NZ some years ago and felt the diversity there; I heard people are proud of the blood of the native New Zealander, All the children were learning the language of Maori. Of course NZ might not be responsible as the criminal is from Australia. I’m scared of the racism, such a hatred, which is increasing also in Japan.

   Some twenty years ago there were many foreign people who were working in this small town. One of them was a young man from Bangladesh nicknamed Bappa. He was learning Japanese at one of our friends, and so we became friends with this smart and friendly young man. He was intelligent and read an English newspaper .He was the first Muslim I saw and I didn’t know anything about his religion. One day we invited him to the BQ at our place, but there was nothing for him to eat or drink; he didn’t eat pork, didn’t drink alcohol (Pork is cheaper in Japan!)    He said he prayed five times a day, even at work, but he was breaking the rule little by little after he had come to Japan.  I felt sorry not knowing of the people from other culture.

His dream was starting a factory to make shoes from the money he was earning in Japan. Why shoes factory?.  In his country there were many people who walked barefoot and suffered tetanus. Cheap shoes could save their lives, The shoes factory could hire many people and they could support their families and send their children to school. “When more children are educated, they can make their country a better place” he said. I was moved to hear this. How many Japanese children think of their future like that? I invited him to my class and asked him to talk to the students. He was so glad to have a chance to talk at school.

 But one day he was disappeared with other foreign workers, maybe it was because of the fear there might be an investigation of the immigration office. How and where is he now? Does he have a shoes factory?

Japan is ungenerous to the immigrants and refugees but try only to exploit them. But we can learn a lot from the diversity, don’t you think?